Phantasy Star III: The Alisian Gods
by The Good Doctor
Summary: My Phantasy Star III-D&D crossover story arc finishes by going out into left field and throwing the characters into a new adventure to save the soul of one of their number.
1. Chapter 1

Corg held Christy's hand as helped her onto the carriage, being careful not to let her long, salmon silk dress get caught in the door. Mieu, the forever-young female cyborg, was already sitting inside with little Melissa, now almost two, on her lap. The red-haired Mieu and the petite, blond-haired toddler exchanged funny faces with each other while Corg kissed his wife's hand and closed the door. He then turned to Sean and Kara, King and Queen of Landen and Satera, who stood behind him. Sean was dressed in the silver-bordered white tunic with a long green cape that matched his dark green hair. Kara, his Dahlian wife, had her long lime-green hair in curls, and wore a baby blue gown, a departure from her usual purple attire.

Sean put forth his hand and placed it on Corg's shoulder and bowed his head forward slightly. "Thank you and your lovely wife for that wonderful performance. She truly is an exquisite dancer. We haven't had such a performance in Landen as far as I remember." He paused and brooded for a moment. "My mother, Queen Thea, used to dance like that on Azura before she passed on. Your wife Christy reminded me of how beautiful such talent can make life."

Corg took Sean's hand and bowed his head forward, touching the king's hand with his forehead and responded, "It was an honor, your majesty, to perform before—"

"Ah, cut the modesty and formality," said Kara in her usual fiery voice. Even being a queen did little to extinguish the young woman's natural fire. She then smiled and added, "Your wife's dancing was mesmerizing. Had I not been trained to be a slicer-wielding warrior, I would've liked to learn ballet."

Sean thought that was pretty hysterical, as did Corg, who bit his lips not laugh in front of the queen. Kara returned Sean's laughter with a brief glare, followed by a chuckle herself.

"Well," said Corg. "We have got to go. In two days we'll have a performance in Yaata, followed by two more in Ilan."

Sean and Kara nodded and gestured for the second carriage to come forward. Corg opened the door to it and stepped inside. As Corg was closing the door, Sean reached over and held it open and said, "After Christy's tour, when you get back to the Hollow Valley, tell Laya and Aunt Sari and their spouses that we'd very much like them to come visit us again. We really miss them." Kara nodded in agreement.

"Will do," said Corg cheerfully. Sean closed the door and the two carriages left the gate of Landen and headed south.

Corg, alone in his carriage, relaxed and let his mind wander. It had been about five months since his friends' wedding. After they had returned from their honeymoon, the two new royal couples established their rule firmly in the Hollow Kingdom. They divided their duties equally, Piotr being left with the financial matters of the kingdom; Jack, who had once studied criminal law in his homeworld, with questions of justice; Laya, who, as a Layan, was naturally refined and aristocratic in her demeanor, handled the arts; and Sari dealt with questions of defense and diplomacy.

Corg kind of lived in the court as a "professional mooch", as he often gested. His official post was court historian, although he often counseled with Piotr and Jack in both financial and moral matters, and his knowledge of geography allowed him to accompany Sari in some of her trips of diplomacy. If "professional mooch" was Corg's occupation, his title was "scholar of obscure knowledge". His knowledge of the intricacies of the Hollow World and of things in general made him always a hoot for people to talk to, and the townspeople found some of his ideas, be them for stories or projects, quite intriguing.

He was always accompanied by Mieu, whom acted as his personal bodyguard and close confidant. King Sean had given her the order to remain in the Hollow Valley and follow the orders of the royal families there, and she was more than happy to comply. Corg liked traveling with Mieu, because she was the one who seemed most interested in the things he had to talk about. She also counseled him about Alisian customs and traditions as well, which he found fascinating.

Christy, Corg's beloved, used this opportunity to become something of a professional dancer and entertainer. She loved to dance, and often would come up with choreography and costumes for her and some of the younger female colonists from the Alis III to perform. Her first performance was at the castle itself. She then performed at a Neo-Palm settlement a few weeks later, followed by another one at the Oltec city, beyond the plateau of fire. It was after this that Sari suggested that she fly up to the Alis III to perform in Landen and in some of the other cities there.

The carriages had been travelling for almost three hours when they came to a complete stop. They had not planned to arrive in Yaata for another two hours. Corg looked out the window and now nothing.

"Sir," called the driver. "It looks like we have company."

Corg's heart jumped within him as he thought about his wife and daughter's safety. He quickly opened the door and jumped to the ground. Moving quickly, he made it to the other carriage and saw that a small party of women stood in front of it. One was a beautiful blonde woman in a purple robe. A dark violet hood obscured part of her face, but there was no denying the woman's beauty. There was something of a sadistic smile on her face. On both sides of her were two women in blue armor brandishing long swords. Their hair was as blue as the morning sky and was done up in a ponytail that hung down and touched the small of their backs. Their armor was made up of a series of elaborate, overlapping plates in a design that seemed to correspond with the Oriental cultures of Corg's homeworld and ended in a series of metal flaps that barely covered the women's buttocks. Next to one of them was another woman, unarmed, but wearing a suit of lime-green mail that cut off a little above the navel. Her hair was as green as the clothing she wore. She had a comely smile, but her wide, bent-knee posture and hands whose fingers curled as if to imitate a tiger's claws showed that her intentions were less than noble.

"Well, well," Corg said in feigned arrogance, his hearting racing inside him. "It looks like we have the pleasure of receiving a visit from Zafirah and the kensai." He looked over at the green woman, looking over body a few times—Corg thought the green armor was rather attractive. "You must be a Tigress."

Zafirah cackled and said. "You know a great deal about, outsider. Too much, to be honest." By now, Mieu was stepping out of the carriage, her claws unsheathed. Zafirah ignored her and continued, "Unfortunately, you're a friend of that foolish King Sean. Any friend of his is an enemy of ours."

The Tigress' kind smile twisted into an evil sneer.

"Please," pleaded Corg. "We are but humble entertainers. If you have any problems with his majesty, do not let us get involved. There are women and children in this party."

Zafirah let out another hideous cackle and nodded. "We know. That's why we're here. King Sean will soon know that we mean business. We're quite good at showing people we do."

Corg slowly reached into his robes and found his chain whip, which he had brought with him for just such an emergency. He held it, but didn't let his enemies see it.

"Mieu! Get back in the carriage. Head back to Landen now!"

"But Corg—"

"Do it! Protect Christy and Melissa at all costs!"

Mieu quickly got back into the carriage and the horses began to take head back in the opposite direction. Zafirah reacted quickly, raising her hands and producing an orange ball of flame. Seeing this, Corg leapt forward and thrust his foot into Zafirah's stomach, knocking her back. With a pivot of his hips, he swung the ball of his left foot into Zafirah's face, nearly knocking her unconscious. The two kensai quickly joined the fray and started swinging their swords at Corg, who did his best to dodge their deadly blows. Corg pulled out his whip and begin to whirl it around his body, deflecting the blows and confusing the two swordswomen.

The Tigress ran into the melee and swung her leg in a circle, sweeping out Corg's legs from under him. He quickly kicked up to his feet and swung his whip, narrowly missing the Tigress' throat. He moved his body around to dodge the next barrage of strikes from the kensai and started responding in kind with his whip. After trading several blows, he found an open spot in one of the kensai's defense and let his whip go. Its pointed tip struck the kensai in the thigh. She screeched in agony. Corg quickly spun around and brought the whip across her face, bringing her to the ground, rolling and screaming in pain.

With a spinning kick, Corg knocked the second kensai to the ground. He saw that Zafirah was now getting up again, but his attention was soon diverted to the Tigress, who began an onslaught of clawed strikes against him. She moved in too close for him to use his whip as a lash, so he grabbed the whip by both ends and started trading blows with her, trying to wrap the whip around her wrists and immobilize her. The Tigress latched onto his arms with her claw-like fingers, preventing him from moving. Corg struggled to move his arms and started to kick at the Tigress' knees and smash his head into hers, but her grip remained firm. He then looked up and saw another glowing red orb of flame form at the Zafirah's fingertips.

Hearing the words, "Nafoi!", Corg saw the orb moving in his direction. He closed his eyes and braced himself.

Zafirah staggered back at the force of the explosion, temporarily blinded by it. She waited for a few moments, and then regained her senses enough to see what had happened. Her companion, the other kensai, got up and walked over to where Corg and the Tigress had stood. Zafirah observed the scene from afar. A cruel smile appeared on her face.

"Anything left of our companion?" Zafirah said with a melodic voice.

The kensai looked around the blast site for a moment, and then shook her head. Zafirah nodded and frowned.

"It's a pity," Zafirah lamented. "She was an excellent fighter. But it was for a good cause. That'll show that fool Sean and that witch Kara that the forces of Lashute are still a force to be reckoned with. That'll show them to destroy our home. And the outsider, anything left of him?"

The kensai knelt down and soon stood up with several pieces of burned clothing and armor, including Corg's cloak, in her hands.

At that moment, Zafirah felt a light tap on her shoulder. She spun around to meet the cold, angry eyes of a red-haired woman. It was Mieu, the outsider's companion and Sean's compatriot in the battle of Lashute. There was almost no expression on the cyborg's face. The two women stared at each other for a few moments.

Zafirah made an attempt to lift her arms, wishing to use a technique on her opponent. Mieu's reflexes, however, were far too fast for Zafirah to be able to do anything. In a small fraction of a second, Mieu plunged her Nei claw so far into Zafirah's neck that her knuckles rubbed up against Zafirah's throat. Blood sprayed out of the wounds and stained the cyborg's face and body, leaving her skin and her white gloves almost the same color as her red leotard. Zafirah weakly grasped Mieu's forearm, but let go just as quickly. In a few seconds, Mieu was staring into the glazed-over eyes of a dead sorceress. She pulled out her claw and Zafirah immediately fell the ground.

The kensai, seeing this, raised her sword and charged Mieu. Mieu spun and turned and with a quick slashing motion, sliced the kensai's sword into several pieces. She then rammed her two claws into the kensai's bosom until her fists struck the woman's chest and lifted her up off the ground. The kensai gasped and choked and tried to scream, but her lungs had been punctured by Mieu's unforgiving blades. The blue-haired woman kicked and flailed her arms for a few seconds, after which they fell limp at her sides.

About a kilometer away, Christy waited nervously inside the carriage. Mieu had gotten out and told the driver to go back to Landen, but Christy had convinced the driver to wait until one of them had returned. She was already wiping back tears and Melissa was rubbing her hands on her mother's cheek, trying to comfort her.

It was about twenty minutes before Mieu returned. The female cyborg returned alone, her body stained with blood. There was no expression in her eyes, but her mouth betrayed a deep sorrow. In her white-gloved hands were the pieces of burnt clothing and armor. Christy, stepping out of the carriage, saw the charred remains of her husband's clothing. She felt faint and nearly collapsed that same moment, her uncontrollably-shaking hands holding onto the carriage door for support. Mieu slowly walked up to her and solemnly placed the articles on the ground before Christy. Mieu than yelled and shoved one of her claws into the side of the carriage and pounded on it with her other fist.

Christy's eyes brimmed with tears as she struggled to find some sort of response. She didn't believe what was happening. Her lips quivered and her knees began to buckle. Finally, she fell to knees and started weeping uncontrollably.

"Corg!" she screamed.


	2. Chapter 2

Christy sat in front the mirror in her bedroom, her face buried in her arms, puling without stopping. It had been a week since the incident that had taken the life of her husband, Corg. Christy and Melissa were back at the castle in the Hollow Valley, where the funeral services were held. Her white silk robes were stained with the constant stream of tears that flowed from her large, Mediterranean brown eyes. After several moments, she looked up and stared into the swollen eyes that appeared in the mirror's reflection.

"Why?" she sniffled. "Why did Corg have to die? He was a good person. A good husband and a loving father. Why? Why was he taken from me?"

Next to her stood Laya and Sari. It was late evening, and both were dressed in red satin camisoles and robes. They too mourned the horrific fate of Corg. He was not only a friend to them, but it was him whom they thanked for their meeting their husbands, and he was held in especially high esteem with them for that. They had cried a lot when the tidings of his murder had reached the castle, although they were not crying at this particular moment. They simply sighed and held Christy's hands and rubbed her shoulders, quite unsure of what exactly to say to comfort her.

Several times Sari opened her mouth to say something, maybe make some sort of comparison with the passing of her mother, Queen Lena of Satera, or of King Sean's parents, who had been killed a couple of years before when the satellite Azura was destroyed. Sari then figured that it would avail her nothing and remained silent.

Laya finally tried to venture an answer. "I know, I feel it in my heart that your husband is in good care. I bet Wren is taking good care of him right now."

"But why now? He left me behind. He left Melissa behind. Who's going to take care of us? Who's going to be Melissa's dad now?"

Sari finally found an opening to start a dialogue. "Christy, look at me." The young widow looked Sari square in the eye. "Corg was a friend to all of us. We will take care of you. We will be—we have always been and will continue to be your family here. Trust me. You and Melissa will never lack anything here at the castle."

Christy stayed silent for a few moments. She just stared at her reflection in the mirror, trying to hold back any further display of emotion. After a while, her eyes began to brim with tears, but she held back the sobs, and wiped the tears aside with a brusque movement.

"We never should have come here. We should've stayed back on Earth. If Corg hadn't been so selfish, he'd still be alive today."

Laya and Sari looked at each other in astonishment. Sari took a deep breath and said, "How can you accuse him of being selfish? He's your husband, Christy. How can you can speak evil of him, when he's not here to defend himself?"

Christy's beautiful tanned face began to grow scarlet. "He only thought of himself!" she exclaimed. "He came here and wanted to stay here because of his own childish fantasies. He didn't think about how dangerous it'd be for him or me or Melissa. He was only thinking about himself. It's his own fault he's dead now!"

Sari bit her lip in order to keep herself from responding with the same tone of voice. She opened her mouth, but a gesture from Laya kept her silent.

With a soft voice, Laya said, "Listen, Christy. We don't know why some things happen the way they do. I don't understand how it was that Corg, Jack, and Piotr arrived in our world in the first place. I don't think they even know it. Sure, they have ideas, but that's just what they are: ideas. I tell you one thing: their arrival here has meant the most to Sari and I and the two of us are forever grateful for that. As for Corg, it was always evident how much he loved you." Laya voice trembled a bit, but she continued. "As soon as he recovered from the first big battle here, he made it a point to return to your world to be by your side. I bet he would've stayed there permanently, had Piotr and Jack not returned to summon him. The truth of the matter is, we needed him here. If it weren't for him, I don't think Sari or Piotr or Jack or I would be here at this moment. Call Corg whatever you want, but a selfish man he was not. Just because he didn't live for just you and your daughter, doesn't mean he was selfish. It means the opposite: he lived for a cause greater than himself."

By this point, Christy's nervousness gave way to anger. "And look what it brought him! Now I'm a widow and Melissa doesn't have a father."

"Christy, I know you're upset at all this." Sari said, trying to calm her down. "I told you, we will take care of the two you. That part you don't have to worry about."

Christy got up from her chair and paced around a bit. After a few moments of reflection, she said, resolutely, "I don't want to stay here anymore."

"But—" Laya started.

"This place is too dangerous for a person to live. If I stay here, I'll be endangering both my life and Melissa's life. I already lost my husband. I can't bear to think of losing my daughter."

"You listen to me," retorted Sari impatiently. "You're just as safe here as you are in your home world. I've talked enough with the guys about how your world is and from the looks of it, there's just as much danger and death and tragedy over there as there is over here. You may not have amazons and dragons and beastmen and kinsai, but there are still loonies and killers and all other sorts of filth there. At least here, you have guaranteed protection and financial stability."

"Until a green dragon comes to the castle and fills the halls with chlorine gas, killing us all of asphyxiation. I'm not stupid, Sari. Corg told me all about the different monsters that inhabit this place."

Laya sighed. "Please, Christy, be reasonable."

"I am being reasonable, Laya!"

At that moment, the door opened and Mieu, her red hair done up in a bun and wearing a gold nightgown, entered. Christy turned and looked at her with a frown.

"And you," she shouted, pointing at the cyborg. "If you had stayed by my husband's side the whole time, maybe he'd be here right now."

Mieu stood in her place, both speechless and hurt. Feebly, she mumbled, "Corg had ordered me to get you to safety. I did what I was told to do. If you want to blame someone, blame him."

"She already has," Sari rejoined sarcastically.

Mieu stared at the angry Christy. She spoke up, "I wouldn't blame him if I were you. He was a good man. He gave his life to protect you. That smacks of ingratitude."

Christy just pouted and folded her arms.

Mieu went on, "It's an insult to his sacrifice that you're fighting with us like a little child. Is it easy? Of course not. I've lived long to see a few deaths in my day, and I can tell you right now that this sort of childish attitude won't bring him back, nor will it help you deal with it."

Christy remained quiet, but soon turned her back to the others and walked toward her dresser. She hastily started grabbing all of her clothes and personal belongings and started putting them together. "I want to go back and I want to go back now."

Mieu raised her hand in protest, but was silenced by nods from Sari and Laya. Mieu turned around and left the room at the moment.

"Is that what you really want?" Laya said.

"Yes," said Christy coldly.

"You do realize that this will make your life a lot harder than it would be if you stayed with us in the castle?" Sari said, trying to persuade Christy one last time.

"I don't care. I'll take my chances there."

Laya forced a smile and said, "Christy. We want you to know that whatever happens, you're always welcome to come back here. There will always be a place for you at the castle."

Christy turned and regarded the two queens for a few moments. Shaking her head, she went back to getting her stuff together.

"I'll get Jack to take her home," Laya said softly so that only Sari could here.

In a low whisper, Sari answerered, saying, "And I'll have Piotr arrange for her to take some gold and jewels back with her. She'll need something to live on until she gets back on her feet."

The queens looked at each and nodded, and then quietly stepped out of Christy's room in search of their husbands.


	3. Chapter 3

The rays of the dusk shined through the windows of Sari and Piotr's bedroom, prompting the beautiful queen pull the dark violet curtains over the window to block out the light. She then walked over to her dresser and began to undress. Piotr, who was sitting at a desk near the bed taking care of budget figures and accounts, paid no heed to his wife as she removed all of her undergarments and slipped into a while silk camisole. She looked over at her husband, who had thrown himself into his work more than ever in the past five months, and sighed. She sat down in front of an antique mirror with gold trim and began to brush her brown hair, which now ran down past her shoulders. She occasionally looked over at her king, who almost never looked up from various charts and tables he was filling out.

She smiled and nodded at her reflection and got up. Gracefully, although to no particular audience, she walked over to her husband and let her arms drape over his shoulders. Piotr paused, took a deep breath, and then reached back and rubbed Sari's cheeks a little.

"You know, love, there aren't a whole lot of financial and budgetary matters in this kingdom that merit the attention you're giving them."

Piotr pursed his lips for a moment and nodded in agreement, but said nothing.

"Piotr, it's about Corg, isn't it?"

Piotr looked back at his work and reached for his pen.

"Stop right there," Sari demanded, but with a smile on her face. "There'll be none of that in our relationship."

"I don't wanna talk about it," mumbled Piotr.

"Maybe. But you have to. For the past several months you've completely shut yourself down and have only been working, working, and working some more."

"It's how I deal with things," came the response in a hushed tone.

"That may be all well and good when you're single. But you're married now. Even you said that you believe that husband and wife should be…how did you say it? Ah, 'one flesh.' Okay then, let's be one. Talk to me for crying out loud."

Piotr relented after a few moments. Turning slowly to face the longsuffering eyes of his queen, Piotr spoke. "I have a difficult time accepting Corg's death. It's not that he was too young or too innocent or anything like that. But since we were young teenagers, he had always been a good friend to me. To be perfectly honest, he was one of the few people who understood me."

Sari began to smile. "That wasn't so hard now, was it? Yeah, given you eccentricities, that's not too hard to imagine."

"I don't just don't know what to do now that he's gone."

Sari cleared her throat. "Well, you have me for one." Piotr tried to force a smile at that. Sari reached over and ruffled Piotr's hair a little. "Listen, I've lost people close to me, too. When Ayn and Thea were killed, I lost the two best friends I had ever had after my own mother. For whatever our differences once were, and despite the fact that Ayn loved Thea more than I, they were nonetheless my great friends. I always looked forward to my visits to Azura or to their visits to Landen, because I knew that they'd be the only people who'd really be able to understand me. I lost them and subsequently a part of my own being. But I had Sean, and with time—a lot of time—gained Kara and now I have you, the love of my life."

Piotr took a deep breath and stood up. He paced around the room a few times while Sari stood in the same place and watched.

"It's hard. I'm not good at dealing with this stuff."

"Most of us aren't. But you're married to a person who loves you a lot. And that person—me—doesn't want you to try to bear the burden by yourself."

Piotr walked up to Sari and placed his hands on her nearly bare shoulders. A single tear ran down his cheek.

"Well there's a first," Sari said. "Listen Piotr, wherever Corg is, be it in Heaven or inside the Nei Sword or wherever, he certainly wants you to continue with your life and not spend months on end in this state."

"Please, bear with me a little, Sari. It's not easy."

"I never said it had to be, my love." Sari moved closer to him and placed her hands on his elbows, drawing them toward her waist. "I just don't want you to confront this alone, or not at all." She wrapped her arms around his waist and moved her lips close to Piotr's ear. "The trials of life are a lot easier to deal with when we have someone to face them with," she said softly.

Piotr gazed into her eyes for a few moments. "I'm sorry, my love. I know that I haven't been the best during these times."

Sari's lips moved from Piotr's ear to his mouth. With a suggestive smile, she said, "You're lucky I'm a forgiving woman."

Meanwhile, in Jack and Laya's bedroom, the blonde-haired damsel stared at Jack as he practiced his fighting techniques in the wide open space between the bed and the door. She watched him swing his legs in numerous different directions in many different ways. Jack spun his body and leapt into the air as if he had no regard whatsoever for gravity. It never ceased to impress Laya, but it was the look on Jack's face as he did so that worried her. There was a look of misbegotten determination, of anger directed at some useless cause. She knew that look, for she had felt it to one degree or another when she had returned to this world after nearly a millenium of cryo-sleep.

"Please, Jack. Enough. You're overexerting yourself," pleaded Laya, calmly.

Jack stopped mid-kick and looked over at her. His large brown eyes stared at her in a distant manner and he nodded and walked over the foot of the bed and sat down. He buried his head in his hands and sulked for a moment.

Laya wiped a tear from her; it killed her to see Jack in this state. Much like Piotr, Jack had shut down emotionally immediately following the death of Corg. Whereas Piotr had thrown himself into his work, according to Sari, Jack through himself into his martial arts. Laya got out from under the sheets and stood up. She walked around the bed and sat next to Jack at the foot of it.

"Sari told me that Piotr is taking Corg's death in much the same way. You know how much it hurts me to see the two of you like this. I have a pretty good idea how you must feel. Seeing how happy-go-lucky you were when it was the three of you, it must hurt a lot to lose your companion."

Jack didn't look up, but simply nodded and said, "Yeah. It's hecka true."

Laya shook Jack lightly, trying to get him to at least look at her. "Please Jack, open up to me. That's what I'm here for."

"I'm sorry, Laya. I can't. I don't know how. I don't know what to do..." Jack grew silent again.

Laya pulled his head into her shoulder. "Let's have a dialogue, Jack. Why do you think it's affecting you so much?"

For several moments, Jack remained silent. He finally started to talk. "Back when we were adolescents, we had a motto: Brothers, we live together and die together."

Laya calmly asked. "Did you want to die by his side?"

"No, it's not that. But I would've at least liked to have been by his side when it happened. Besides, remember that he saved my life back when we first arrived here. I still owe him my life."

Laya stood up and sat back down in Jack's lap. She pulled his head into her bosom and gently caressed his hair. "It's okay. Jack, you need to try to move on. Live and die with Corg in spirit. Live and die with your friend by living and fighting for his ideals. I know that Corg died fighting for Christy." She looked deep into his eyes. "Do likewise: Live and fight for me."

Piotr's and Sari's lips met and locked into a passionate embrace. They kissed passionately for several seconds and Piotr's hand slowly caressed his wife's back. Soon it was moving up toward the strap of her camisole. As he was about to make suave movement to relieve her of it, a sudden knock on the door startled them. They broke their embrace and Sari hurried over to the dresser to throw a robe on over her night clothes and answer the door. Piotr turned and sat at that foot of the bed while his wife opened the door a crack to see who was bothering them.

Peering through the small opening, Sari saw the magenta hair of the cyborg Mieu.

"I'm sorry for bothering you two at this late hour. I need to talk to the two of you really urgently."

"Of course, Mieu. Please, come in." Sari closed the door to remove the chain lock and then opened again, allowing Mieu to enter. Mieu was dressed in a red, low-cut nightgown with a white wool shawl thrown over her shoulders to cover her up. In her hands were several large sheets of paper and a pencil. Sari examined Mieu's expression, which seemed to manifest a rather odd combination of both fear and elation.

Mieu walked over the foot of the bed and sat down several feet away from Piotr. Sari grabbed the stool from in front of the mirror and brought next to where her husband was sitting.

"So, what's the problem, Mieu?" Piotr asked, trying to mask his impatience.

"I had a strange, but very interesting dream tonight," she said quietly.

Piotr and Sari looked at each other and the former raised an eyebrow in interest. "Cyborgs can have dreams?"

Mieu shook her head. "That's the strange part. I don't dream. Well, not usually. I usually just kind of black out until I'm energized. But for these past three days, I've had a recurring dream...about Corg."

That caught the attention of the others, especially Piotr, immediately. "Oh really?"

Mieu nodded. "He's trying to communicate with me, Piotr. I think he's alive, or at least in some place or state in which we can find him."

"Did he say anything to give you that impression?" Sari asked.

Mieu shook her head. "Let me explain the dream to-"

"Hold up," said Sari. "Let me get Laya and Jack. I'm sure Ja-I mean the two of them will be dying to hear about this."

In a few moments, the five of them were gathered in Piotr's room. Mieu started to recount her dream.

"I was in walking in some dark room, when suddenly a strange light began to shine. When I looked around, I discovered I was in a strange land. I was in the middle of a field, but I think it might of been a graveyard. There were gravestones and stone mausoleums all over the place. I could seen broken down walls, fallen statues, and a long, continuous broken wall running for miles. As I walked through the field, I saw Corg. He was alone and sad, dressed in a red tunic. I called his name, but he didn't say anything. He simply bid me follow him.

"I followed him for some time, after which the ground opened up into a large cavern. We walked into the cavern, which was this barren, moss-filled pit. The descent was occasionally steep, but easy enough for me to walk through. We then reached another cave, which was more dangerous, since there were many holes and pits that a careless person could fall into. Making our way through the cave, we entered another area that seemed like a gateway or even a small underground city. An eerie blue light filled the place and there were numerous man-made structures-or least what looked like man-made structures-to be seen. The most notable was a recurring statue of some sort of monster that had a human body but a long, horned snout.

"After reaching the end, we passed through a gateway and opened into another world. It was bathed in an eerie reddish-orange light and filled with rock outrcroppings and boulders. It was here that he stopped and smiled at me. He pointed at the ground, as if to tell me that's where he was. And then I woke up."

Laya was the first person to respond. "That is really strange; especially when you consider that I've had a similar dream. Several of the places you mentioned have shown up in my dreams recently, too."

Jack immediately shot out with, "Dude, Hecka why didn't you say something before?"

Laya looked at him and said, "Well, unlike Mieu, I didn't actually see Corg. So I thought it was just some random dream."

Jack seemed content at the answer.

Mieu continued, "Well, the places I went to were so vivid in my mind that I was able to draw some fairly accurate representations of these places." She showed them the pieces of paper she had brought with her. Sure enough, there were five highly-detailed drawings of the places she had described. Sari and Laya said nothing as they looked over the drawings. Piotr also didn't say a whole lot. Jack, however, seemed very interested as he stared intently at them.

"Dude, I think these are from another game. Hecka can't remember which one, though."

"You mean, Corg's in another world now?"

Jack nodded. "Hecka that's what it sounds like." He began to smile and show a bit of enthusiasm in his words. "I think he hecka wants us to mount a rescue mission for him. I think he wants us to find his sorry booty."

Sari looked at Laya, "So that means-"

"Heck yeah," said Piotr. "I think we have another quest on our hands. And I know just the place for us to start. But let's not get ahead of ourselves now. We'll discuss it further over breakfast tomorrow, okay?"

Everybody nodded.

Piotr went on, "Now, if you will excuse us, Sari and I were having an important dialogue."

Sari giggled, which made Jack bow his head and shake it. "Well, since we may just be having ourselves another quest," he said, looking over at Laya, "I guess Laya and I should have a dialogue, too."


	4. Chapter 4

Pacific Avenue was as busy as it always was, being the main commercial street in the city of Mudville. The quarter-million inhabitant city's two shopping malls were located on this street, plus numerous shopping centers and movie theaters, not to mention part of the campi of the city's two colleges. It was around the midpoint of the avenue, beneath a bridge that passed over a small creek running behind one of the colleges that a there lay a bike-path that extended from the far eastern end of the city to the far western end, near the river delta. The bike path, especially around the two or three bridges that crossed over it, was a breeding ground for gang activity, since they could often hide under the bridge at night to use drugs or engage in other activities, whatever they might be.

It was a clear sunny day and today, at least at this hour, which was around noon, there were no signs of gangland activity in that stretch of the path. There, beneath the bridge, the air began to churn and distort. The ground shook lightly, so much so, that only someone within the immediate vicinity would be able to notice anything. However, as there were no bikers or joggers on the path at the moment, and the cars which crossed the bridge were completely oblivious to what was happening, nobody saw the brief flashes of light followed by the sudden appearance of three people in the middle of the of narrow paved road that was the bike path. The three people stood on the path and stretched their arms, and walked up the staircase to the sidewalk that ran along the bridge. One of them was a tall, thin blonde man dressed in black trousers and a white shirt. The second was a sturdier fellow with short brown hair and was also in black trousers, but wore a simple red shirt. The third was a red-haired lady wearing brown pants and a white blouse, different from the usual red leotard that was accustomed to using.

The three looked around them and the two boys immediately recognized their whereabouts.

"Dude, hecka the Pacific Avenue!" exclaimed a content Jack. "Haven't been here in phatty years."

"It has been longness," agreed Piotr. "So, let's get down to business. We need to get access to the Internet from here. How can we do that?"

Jack stroked his chin and thought for a few moments. Mieu said nothing, but simply observed the new world that she come to for the first time. The cars, the buildings, the style of paved roads-all was new to her.

"Piotr, did you bring any cash with you?"

"Well, not any dollars, no. But I did bring this small bag of gold coins. But I wouldn't know where to cash them in. A bank maybe?"

"Well, let's head north," said Jack. There must be a number of jewelry shops that we could ask the owners how we could proceed with that. After that, we'll look for a coffee shop or a cyber-café with internet access. I think that'll be okay."

Piotr pondered that for a moment and then nodded. "Come Mieu, let's go."

The three started off down the sidewalk, heading north toward the more popular commercial areas of the city. It was a short walk indeed, for upon having passed up the first few buildings, all of which belonged to the college nearby, they spotted a store that caught their eye. There was a small building with a sign reading "Pawn Shop." Piotr and Jack stopped looked at the establishment for a few moments, and then looked at each and nodded.

"Hecka forgot about this baby. This trip may be easier than we thought," said Jack, already breaking into laughter.

The two walked into the pawn shop. Mieu stared at the numerous pieces of watches and jewelry in the cases near the counter, but was particularly interested in the number of electronic appliances that adorned the shelves. While Jack and Piotr went to the talk with the owner, Mieu examined the different pieces of equipment to satisfy her curiosity.

"May I help you, gentlemen?" the owner, an older man with a head covered with straggly grey hair, said.

Jack played the part of the spokesman. "Why yes, my good man. You see, my friend just inherited a house from his grandmother, who just passed away. While going through her stuff, he came across this." Jack reached over and pulled out a small handful of coins from Piotr's pouch. "We're not quite sure what to do with it, so we were wondering if you could tell us if it's authentic or not."

The old man kept the same polite, but reserved expression on his face as Jack handed him some coins. The man looked at the coins for a few moments, held them up in the light, and even bit down on a few of them. "Well I'll be. These are made of solid gold." The man weighed the coins in his hands for a few moments, and then asked the two if he could weight them. With their consent, the man produced a small electronic scale from behind his counter and placed the coins on it. Looking at the weight, the man silently moved his lips as he performed a few mental calculations.

"If you want, I'll give you $500.00 for the coins," he said brusquely.

Piotr opened his mouth to speak, but Jack waved him to be quiet and said, "Agreed."

The man left the room and in a few moments, returned with a small wad of cash. He handed it to Jack, who in turn handed the coins to the man. Jack counted the bills and nodded. The two shook hands and Jack and his companions turned away to leave the establishment.

Jack then turned back to the owner and asked, "Hey sir, do you know where there's an cyber café around here?"

"Check the shopping center down the street. I think there's a coffee shop that has paid internet access."

Jack nodded and left the store.

"Hecka only five-hundred bones, dawg?" was the first thing Piotr said.

"Well, if you think about it, we only need to pay for the internet use, maybe something to eat, and maybe buy some little presents for the ladies."

"Yeah, that's true. Very well. Let's check out this coffee house."

The small shopping center was only two blocks away from the pawn shop. The three walked around the sidewalks until the found the coffee shop. They walked in and felt the immediate blast of cool air from the air conditioner, which startled Mieu's temperature sensors. Not wanting to draw any attention to herself, she stayed quiet and followed two men. Fortunately, this coffee house did have internet access and Jack paid up front for two full hours of internet use. He also bought three raspberry smoothies and a chocolate chip cookie for Mieu to experiment. The three gathered around the computer as Jack got onto the net.

"Well, the first place to start is to find a list of games that may be possible candidates for places Corg might be," Piotr observed.

Jack typed in a few commands into the browser and soon a list of sites appeared on the screen. He scanned quickly through him and clicked on the first site that caught his attention. The page loaded quickly and a list of video game titles and release dates showed up on the screen.

Jack nodded and said, "Heck yeah. Now we're talking."

He began to scroll slowly down the list, mumbling the names of the different games. Occasionally, he'd pause and open another window, type the name of a game in the browser, and pull up a list of images from the game. He'd then ask Mieu to take a good look at the screen shots and say if she recognized it from her dreams. The first several times he did this, Mieu shook her head and said that no, it didn't match the place she had seen in her dream. He continued doing it.

It had been nearly a half-hour when Jack pulled up a list of images, and Mieu performed a spit take, covering the screen in bits of chewed cookie. Jack and Piotr started laughing out loud at that. After wiping down the monitor, the three took a closer look at the images of the game. Sure enough, the graveyard and the caverns matched exactly what Mieu had described to them.

"Hm..."Altered Beast." Let's take a look." Jack pulled up a synopsis of the game and the three read it quickly.

Piotr and Jack looked at each other and nodded contently.

"Let's see, monsters, Greek mythology...that's definitely Corg," Piotr observed. "It's all so obvious that I can't believe I didn't see it coming before."

"Yeah, that's definitely our man. And wuddiyaknow, it's about guys being brought back from dead. I don't know if it's a coincidence or if Corg did it intentionally, but man, you couldn't find a more appropriate place for the sucker to be."

Mieu said nothing, but simply nodded as she stared unflinchingly-she was unable to blink-at the screen, sipping on her raspberry smoothie. After a few moments, she said, "Wow. That's exactly the place I dreamed about. But, what do we do now?"

"We gotta play this baby, that's what we gotta do. I'm not sure how this transport stuff works, but it'd be good to have a fairly strong vision of the game in order to transport ourselves there correctly."

Jack typed in a few more words into the browser window and a number of emulator sites appeared. He clicked on one, and clicked on the link which allowed him to download the platform emulator. The download was finished in a matter of seconds. He repeated the same process for the game itself. In a moment, he had opened the emulator was at the title screen. Jack pulled up a window to configure the keyboard to accept two players and Piotr placed his hands on the appropriate keys.

The game began. Jack and Piotr began navigating their characters, two Roman centurions who had been brought back from the dead by Zeus to rescue the goddess Athena, through the graveyard, being beset by zombies on all sides. With quick reflexes, the two centurions punched and kicked their way through their enemies. Occasionally, a two-headed dog would show up. When the players kicked him, a blue sphere would appear. Touching the blue sphere made the centurions stronger and soon there were two werewolves onscreen, throwing fireballs at the legions of zombies that attacked them.

Having defeated the first boss, a huge mass of flesh that threw his head at the characters, they reached the second stage. They were inside a cave, the same cave Mieu had seen. Huge blob-like monsters hopped around, trying to jump on the characters to suck their energy away. Jack and Piotr handled them with a few well-placed kicks. Occasionally a bird-like monster with a long tail, known as a chicken-stinger, would show up and try to swing its tail at the centurions, but Jack and Piotr had no problem getting past them. Soon, they were transformed into the lighting-shooting dragons and started flying around the screen, destroying all their enemies with well-placed bolts of electricity. The boss of that level was a huge plant monster that fired eyeball-like spores at the hereoes.

The third stage was another cavern, this one inhabited by giant snails and bipedal ants who tried to run the centurions down. They were a bit trickier, but Jack and Piotr were able to make it the boss, a huge dragon whose coils made it look part snail, in the form of a pair of were-bears. The fourth stage was what looked like a city, filled with arches and vaults and columns in the background, all of which were blue in color. There were numerous structures for the centurions to jump on, and in addition to zombies, they were attacked by flying demons armed with mallots. At the end of the level, they faced a monster that looked like a crocodile hugging a fireball in the form of a were-tiger.

The final stage was a barren wasteland of the Underworld. In the background of the screen, the three could see numerous rock outcroppings and boulders. In the foreground were the distorted, horrified faces of the souls of the damned. They were attacked by a number of enemies from all the previous levels, but were soon able to reach their final transformation: a golden and silver werewolf. They reached the final boss and defeated him pretty easily ending the game. Jack then closed the window and stretched. It had now been around an hour-and-a-half since they had begun.

"So Mieu, did you take all that in."

Mieu just nodded, sipping the last of her smoothie.

"Man, you hecka enjoyed that smoothie, didn't you?" Piotr said, chuckling.

Mieu grinned.

Jack and Piotr got up from their seats.

"Well, now we know where we have to go. We should be heading back the valley soon, but first, let's get our ladies some presents."

"Yeah, and I'm kind of fiendin' for something to eat."

Jack nodded and grinned. "Ya' know, Piotr, I think it's the law that we introduce Mieu to the wonder that is a good ol' fashioned pepperoni pizza."

"Dude, you're hecka right."

Mieu looked at both of them and smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

It was in the late afternoon when Piotr, Mieu, and Jack materialized in Piotr's bedchamber. Their reappearance made enough noise that Sari and Laya were soon running into the room to see what the ruckus. They were overjoyed to see their husbands and Mieu, the former of who were carrying a several colored boxes in their arms. Sari and Laya passionately embraced and kissed the two, as the trips between worlds left the two Alisan women scared to no end.

"What are these?" asked Laya, taking the boxes out of Jack's hands. "Are they for me?"

"Heck yeah!" Jack exclaimed. "Presents from your dear Jack from his hometown."

Laya's eyes widened with anticipation as she opened them. Piotr also handed Sari her gifts, who gave him a long kiss on the mouth in exchange. Piotr and Jack both smirked at each other. The two women voraciously tore the boxes open, which contained numerous articles of clothing, including an evening dress for each one. They also received some bottles of perfume, which both of them adored.

"Somebody's gonna get a big kiss tonight," Laya said in excitement.

Sari nodded. "Well, let's get down to business," she said, a little more seriously. "First of all—" she paused and looked over at Mieu. "Mieu, is that blood on your mouth?"

Mieu giggled and ran her finger across her face and licked it. "Nope. Just sauce. These two treated me to some traditional Earth foods while we were there."

Sari shook her head and continued, "So, did you find what you were looking for." There was a look of both fear and hope in her eyes.

Piotr nodded. "Yeah. We now know where Corg is, or should I say probably is."

Jack added, "It's hecka a world based on an ancient civilization that existed on Earth. It's kind of a mythological world, if you want to call it that."

"Full of danger?" Sari asked, letting out a deep sigh.

Jack and Piotr said, "Uh-huh" simultaneously.

Sari sighed again and sat at the edge of the bed. "Dang it. I always hoped that once I settled down, I wouldn't have to go on any more quests. I just wanted to live out the rest of my days in peace with my beloved." She looked up at Piotr and then struck the mattress with her fist.

"Would you go on one more quest if it were to rescue me?" Piotr asked, calmly.

"You know I would."

"That's how I feel about Corg. That's how we all feel about Corg. And I know that he would do the same for you, Christy or no Christy, Melissa or no Melissa."

"Speaking of whom," interjected Laya. "Should we tell her what happened: That we may be able to bring her husband back?"

"No!" said Mieu, quite unexpectedly. The others spun around to look at visibly upset cyborg. "She doesn't deserve it. After all we did for her, she abandoned us. She abandoned Corg. She even had the guts to blame him for what happened. No, we are not going to tell her a darn thing!"

The others' jaws nearly dropped in astonishment. They soaked in her words for a few moments, and finally agreed that she had a point. If Corg wanted to reconcile with her afterward, should the mission be a success, it was his business. But they would carry out their mission unbeknownst to her.

It was as they were reaching that agreement that Piotr noticed an extra table in the room. "What's that?" he inquired of his wife.

"Have a look." The five walked over to the table and stared at for a few minutes. On top of the table, arranged neatly according to its owner, were the arms and weapons of all five of them. There were Sari's twin royal daggers, with their polished blades and elaborately-sculpted hafts. They lay next to her royal bandana and royal chest plate, an immaculately white breastplate that was made of one of the most durable, yet light alloys on the Alis III. Next to her things were Laya's battle equipment, her Nei Bow, her royal fibilira—a thick, burgundy tunic of magically-tempered cloth with laconian shoulder guards—and her royal crown. Next to that was Mieu's gear, which included her Nei and Planar claws, her red leotard, her force vest and boots, and the royal ribbon that Sean had bought her before going to Lashute to face the Dark Force. Jack and Piotr's gear were also on the table. Laya had placed his ninja robes and light mesh armor, in addition to a pair of specially-made boots that were light, but had a laconian toe at the end. Piotr's camo-armor and twin batons completed the set.

Jack and Piotr examined each of the items very carefully, picking up each weapon and piece of armor and scrutinizing it carefully. They ran their fingers over the blades, felt the texture of cloth armor components, and held up their own protective gear against the light.

"Here's hoping that this is the last epic quest we'll have to bust out, " Piotr said.

Sari grabbed his arm and gently rubbed his back. "Amen to that. Here's hoping that when we return, it'll be six of us and not just five."

It was decided among the four that the day after the next would be the day they would part. The evening—according to Alisian time, not the Hollow Valley time-was spent each one in his quarters. Piotr and Sari enjoyed a light dinner together, followed by some light training, and ended with some intimate time between the two. Piotr suggested it on the grounds that'd give each a portion of the other's strength for whatever dangers they might face. Sari accepted on the grounds that any dangerous mission should be preceded by an expression of each other's love, so as to leave no unfinished business should anything happen to one another.

Jack and Laya had a similar experience that evening. After a brief meal, Jack practiced some of his signature kicking techniques, while Laya meditated to hone her technique-casting abilities, should she need them in battle. Their day ended very much like that of Sari and Piotr, though with them it was a decidedly spontaneous decision on the part of both, rather than one preceded by a dialogue about the subject.

Mieu spent the evening alone. She sharpened her claws and practiced some of her fighting moves, and then spent the rest of the evening reflecting on the game Jack and Piotr had played and replaying the many pleasant memories she had of Corg. Before going to sleep, Mieu sat up in her bed and said, to nobody in particular, "Corg, we're coming for you. Just hold in there."

The next day had the two royal couples wrapping up a few loose ends at the castle, and then spending the rest of the day taking care of their appearance. Sari, who had been told the entire story and background of the world they were going to by Piotr, thought it a good idea for them to look their absolute best, just in case they had to have an audience with any of the gods. The others agreed, and Piotr and Jack took long showers and got haircuts while Sari, Laya, and Mieu spent the day with the royal hairdressers and beauticians, who performed all manner of pore-cleaning, eyebrow trimming, and other such activities on the three women.

They rested well that evening and in due time, the time arrived for them to go. The three, dressed and armed accordingly, met in the great hall of the castle. After bidding farewell to the numerous guards and servants, Sari excused everybody so that the five were alone.

"Ready?" she asked.

Everybody nodded.

"Okay, let's do this," she said, resolutely.

Sari walked up to her husband and placed her arms firmly around his waist. He embraced her firmly as well. Laya and Jack followed in suit. Only Mieu was without a partner. On the count of three, Piotr, Jack, and Mieu closed their eyes and began to focus their minds on the land of the Altered Beast. They concentrated all of their mental energy on imagining themselves and their companions in that new land. Soon, their minds became light. They felt a slight tug on their bodies, as if something was trying to pull them upward. Their minds became light, as if all of the hard concentration now was an effortless task. The felt themselves float—no, fly through the deepest, darkest reaches of space. It seemed to go on forever and yet, like a dream, it seemed to end so quickly. They saw the stars around them, which seemed to fly in their direction at dazzling speeds. At length, they saw what appeared to be the planet Earth and, as if they were watching a film in fast-forward, they found themselves hurtling speedily toward Europe…toward Greece…toward their destiny.

As if they had awakened from a long dream, the five opened their eyes and stretched their arms. They looked around. No longer were they in the castle. They were on the steps of a large temple. In front of them lay a vast field of grass with numerous white stone structures frequently popping up in random places. It was a true cemetery of marble structures that they had come to. They looked up the stairs and gazed upon the magnificence of the temple above them.

The temple was also made of marble, but of a type that was infinitely whiter than the numerous stone structures beneath them in the field. It was a rectangular structure, with two or three rows of columns running the entire perimeter of the building. Piotr, whose father knew more than his fair share of architecture, pointed out that the columns were of a Doric style, which he also pointed out that it had no relevance to the mission itself.

The five began to ascend the steps, of which there were more than seventy. As they came closer to the top, they were greeted in a sense by two twin statues that lay several yards apart on the landing of the steps. The two statues depicted the same subject: a female warrior in a robe and soldier's helmet holding a spear. The woman wore a breastplate with the face of another woman, with serpents for hair, in the middle. Near her feet was a coiled serpent. The five stopped to admire the quality of the sculpture.

"Medusa," said Sari quietly, pointing to the breastplate.

"How did you know that?" asked Piotr, curiously.

"She shows up in Alisian mythology. There's a story of a woman named Alis who once confronted the evil monster Medusa. I don't know a whole lot about it, but I remember the description of a woman with snakes for hair who could turn people into the stone with but her gaze."

Laya nodded. "It is true. It is part of a greater legend from Palma, centuries before it was destroyed. I think I heard Corg ask about it once. And in your mythology, does Medusa have the same powers?"

Piotr nodded. "Corg knew more about this stuff than I did, but yeah. She could turn people into the stone and, when Perseus, I believe, decapitated her, a winged horse, Pegasus, came out of the neck wound."

"Quite right, my friend," said a strong, feminine voice from afar.

Startled, the five jumped back to see a woman standing in front of them. The woman was wearing the sort of the long white robes that Piotr had always associated with Ancient Greece. She also wore a gold breastplate and her head was crowned with a golden helmet. Her eyes were a bluish-gray color and her hair was long, wavy, and jet black. Her skin was a light olive color and her appearance, while not outright beautiful, commanded immediate attention and admiration.

"How did—When did you arrive here, miss?" Jack asked, still a bit jumpy.

"Just now. After all, it is my temple," said the female warrior, with a small smile.

"Then you—you are…" Mieu began.

The woman nodded. "Yes, I am Athena. I am the goddess of war and wisdom. This is my temple."

Immediately, the five knelt down on one knee and bowed their heads to the ground. They stayed like that for several seconds until Athena said graciously, "Oh come now and get up. No need for so many formalities." She laughed lightly, but still maintained her dignified demeanor.

Sari and the others slowly rose to their feet.

So," Athena said. "What brings you here?"

Sari acted as the group spokesperson. "We have come here from another world seeking a friend of ours. He was killed in cold blood months ago. Recently two of our company began receiving messages in the form of the dreams, and we tracked them down to this world. I know it sounds unbelievable—"

Athena cut her off. "It would sound unbelievable to a mere mortal being. I am not one, however. I am the Goddess of Wisdom—"She began to walk slowly toward them. "I consider all things and must judge according to all the facts." She examined each of them from head to toe. "For example, it is obvious that you are neither Greek—"she paused as she continued pacing in front of them. "—or from this world." Athena walked over to Mieu and eyed her closely and she circled around the cyborg, occasionally rubbing her arms and cheeks. "The people of this world do not have the technology to make a creation like this," she said calmly. "I do not believe that even my brother Hephaestus could perform such a brilliant work as this fair creature is. Yes, I do believe you. And yes, I do believe that your friend, Corg is his name I believe, is in this world."

Piotr's and Jack's faces beamed with excitement at that. They hit their fists together, giving each other "props", as they called it.

Sari put forth an inquiry to Athena, "So have you seen Corg?"

Athena stopped pacing and looked at the warrior queen. "I regret to say that I haven't. He is not with us on Olympus, nor does he walk the surface of this land. I'm sorry to say that he is in the Netherworld, a prisoner of that evil monster Neff, who had once kidnapped me."

Sari and Piotr calmly placed their hands on their weapons. "How can we find this evil monster and release our friend?" asked Laya. "We have already faced many monsters in our days, including the most evil of all evils. We do not fear this Neff. We plead with this, kind goddess Athena; please tell us the way to go."

Athena smiled at Laya. "Your courage is great and true. Nonetheless, I can only let one of you descend into path that leads to the Netherworld. But you must beware: to fail in the quest could mean the eternal loss of both your soul and Corg's."

There was a brief silence among the party as each of the five looked at each other. Mieu was the first to step forward. "Goddess Athena, I volunteer myself to go."

Athena stared in surprise. "How interesting. The robot wishes to save the human."

"I am more than a mere robot, your highness. I am a cyborg. I was once a human, but augmented with cyborg parts many centuries ago. I am immortal, and yet I have a soul and feelings like any other human. Corg has always been good to me and I would like to repay his kindness by rescuing him from evil. I will give my life, even my soul, to save him." Mieu stepped forward and knelt down to give reverence to the goddess.

"But Mieu—"started Jack, who was silenced by Athena's hand.

"Brave Jack, I know you wish help your friend. But there will be other things which you shall be able to do to help. Don't worry about that. I am very impressed by your courage and determination to find your friend. Few people would leave their own city to find a dead friend, let alone travel across worlds and risk their own souls for him. I admire you all." Athena looked down at the prostrated Mieu. "Fair cyborg Mieu, please arise. Your wish shall be granted. You will descend into the cave which shall take you to the bowels of the earth and, in good time, to the Netherworld itself. Remember, you go at your own risk. Are you okay with such a proposition?"

"More than failure, I fear an eternity of knowing that I could've saved my dear friend but did nothing instead," was Mieu's response.

"So be it." Athena raised her hands and said something in another language. The ground began to quake and soon earth split open in front of the staircase of the temple. "Go Mieu. Corg's fate depends on you."

Mieu walked over to Sari and Laya and the two men, and hugged each of them tightly. The four wished her luck, after which she descended the staircase and walked toward the pit. She stepped down into the bit and soon disappeared from sight.

"God be with you," mumbled Piotr under his breath.

Athena, who had observed Mieu's descent, now turned to the others. "Do not worry, everything will be okay, should her heart be true and her courage unending. Now, I must return to Olympus to consult with my father Zeus in other matters. I will return soon with further instructions for you."

With that, Athena disappeared in a flash of golden light, leaving the two couples alone in front of the temple.


	6. Chapter 6

Many hours had passed since Mieu had begun her descent. The other four idly waited at the steps of the temple ruins for more news. Piotr quietly twirled his batons in reserved nervousness, pacing back and forth quietly up and down the steps. Jack sat on the steps of the temple next to Laya, holding her head tightly against his shoulder. His hands trembled slightly as he did. Sari also sat in silence on the staircase, her body bowed over and her head pressed down on her knees. For a long while, none of them spoke a single a word. Once in a while, Laya and Sari let out a light sigh, the only sound to break the deadening silence that enveloped the locale.

Jack was the first person to speak up. "Dude, this hecka sucks!" he blurted out.

The other three, startled, looked up at him, confused by his sudden outburst.

"I mean it does," he continued, deadly serious. "Why do we have friggin' wait here? Why isn't it Piotr and I who are down there, looking for him? Why did she send Mieu?"

Laya looked at him incredulously. "Would you leave me alone like that, Jack? Is Corg so important to you that you'd risk making me a widow for him?"

Piotr spoke up in a hushed tone. "Um…Laya. You have to understand that Corg and Jack made a pact quite a few years back…What was it now?"

Jack glanced at Laya and then at Piotr. "Brothers…we live together…and die together. It's been our motto since we were adolescents."

Laya pursed her lips, but remained silent, trying to choose her next words carefully. Sari opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by a fifth voice.

"Do not worry, good Jack," called a familiar female voice. The four jumped around to see Athena descending the staircase. She was wearing a white gown and her helmet was gone, revealing a head of long, wavy black hair. Her large grey eyes had a softening effect on the four. "You may yet have the chance to fulfill your promise to Corg."

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Laya, her voice beginning to rise.

"It means that my father has something for the four of you to do, if you want to see Corg again," Athena replied resolutely.

Piotr and Jack shook off the lethargy that had enveloped them while they had been waiting. Sari stepped over to Piotr's side and wrapped her arm around his. "Very well. What do you want us to do?" Piotr inquired.

Athena scrutinized all four of them carefully. She then snapped her fingers three times. In the distance, on the other side of the temple, a horse whinnied. The three looked over to see a horse coming into view, carrying a cart. Inside the cart lay five statues. Their faces were perfectly carved, their figures sculpted into what would have been the perfect bodily form. It was difficult to tell if the statues were male or female, but there was no denying the beauty of what they saw.

"One of these statues will be for Corg, should Mieu return successful from her quest. Your quest will simply to be to accompany this cart to the other end of the cemetery, some three miles from here. It will be there that Mieu will return from the Netherworld, should she still be alive."

"That's it?" Sari retorted. "Mieu is risking her life in the depths of the abyss and all we have to do is walk three miles?"

Athena smiled and nodded. "Yes, I believe that is it. I shall see you on the other side." With that, Athena vanished into thin air, leaving the four alone.

For a few moments they looked at each with bewildered faces. "Come," said Jack, leading Laya by the hand. He walked her up the cart and pushed her in. He looked at Piotr and Sari and beckoned them to follow. "Hecka no use just standing around, guys. The sooner, the better." Piotr and Sari looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders, and walked up to the cart.

"You and Laya stay in the cart. Jack and I will walk alongside. I think at about fifteen minutes per mile we can get there in about 45 minutes if we keep a reasonable pace."

Laya and Sari agreed and stayed in the cart. Sari unsheathed her daggers and Laya, seeing her companion arming her herself, got her bow ready. With a strong slap, Jack got the horse moving. The journey had begun.

The first twenty minutes of the trip were uneventful for the four. The cemetery was a surprisingly large grassy plane, with moss-covered tombs and broken columns jutting out of the ground at regular intervals. Dozens of fallen statues littered the beautiful green grass, turning the graveyard into some sort of marble battlefield. The only sound to be heard was the low nay of the horse and the slow, but steady creak of the cart.

It was after they had traveled about halfway through the cemetery that they spotted something moving to their left. There was something living among the multitude of the ruins. They saw its shadow, although the object kept itself from view.

"What do you think it is?" Sari whispered over to Piotr.

Piotr shrugged. "Dunno. Let's keep on going though. Place gives me the willies."

"Look!" shrieked Laya, pointing again in the direction of the moving shadows.

From behind a small mausoleum emerged a human-like figure. It was far enough away that the heroes couldn't discern its features, other than it was wearing a purple robe. It walked steadily towards the cart, which had not stopped moving. Sari gasped in horror when the creature came into full view: The creature, apparently once a human, had no head on its shoulders, but rather carried its skull in one of its arms.

"What the—" Jack yelled out in disbelief. "C'mon, we've gotta hot-foot it now!" He slapped the horse, which whinnied and picked up the pace. Jack and Piotr jumped on the sides of the cart and held on as the pace quickened.

Soon, more headless creatures begin to crawl out from the shadows, moving intently toward the cart.

"Laya!" Sari yelled. Laya didn't stir, but kept staring at the monsters that pursued them. "Laya!" Sari yelled again. Laya snapped her head around. "Get your bow ready for some head shots!"

Laya nodded and begin to fire her bow. Laser-like arrows whizzed through the air toward the dozen or so monsters that came after them. The monsters that were struck in their bodies kept moving. Two or three received the laser bolts to their skulls and toppled harmlessly to the ground.

"Heck yeah, love!" Jack called out. "Keep up the fine shooting."

Laya continued to rain her laser arrows on the horde of monsters. The excitement of the four over their seeming victor was cut short by a loud rumbling sound. The ground shook and churned about hundred feet in front of the cart. Soon, desiccated hands and heads begin breaking through the grassy plain. Skull-like visages stared blankly at the four as they decayed bodies rose from the ground. In a few moments, a whole army of corpses surrounded the cart, which continued to push forward without any intention of stopping.

Jack and Piotr jumped off the cart and followed along the horse. "The two of you stay in the cart!" yelled Piotr with more urgency than he had ever used. "Laya, give us cover. We'll keep these zombies at bay and away from the horse. Whatever you do, do not let it stop!"

Piotr and Jack fell upon the zombie horde with unbridled fury. Piotr swung his batons with full force into the heads of the undead host, their skulls exploding and being reduced to powder in mere instants. He aimed particularly for the mouth and teeth, lest they peradventure bite him. He swung his arms in circles, performed spinning back-handed blows, and even used his feet to keep the lumbering army away.

Jack fought like a dragon with his furious kicks. He launched spin kick after flying roundhouse kick, also taking aim for the heads of his enemies. Left leg. Right leg. Left leg again. Like a great tornado, Jack's spinning kicks leveled the desiccated mob as him and Piotr drove them back, allowing room for the cart to continue forward.

Sari fought back the tears as she watched helplessly from the cart. Laya was scared nearly out of her wits, but continued firing numerous bolts with her Nei Bow in order to keep the zombies away from the cart. Every few moments, Jack and Piotr would turn their heads to check on the cart. For a brief moment, their eyes would meet up with those of their beloved wives, and then they would quickly tear their glance away to focus on the fight.

The zombie hordes ceased not to rise from the earth. Soon there were far more than Jack and Piotr were able to handle. They continued to fight like madmen, but were soon overcome.

Sari couldn't take it anymore. "Laya, stay here and keep protecting the cart. I'm going to help my hubby!"

"But Sari—" It was too late. Sari had descended from the cart and was lost in a flurry of maddened dagger slicing.

Piotr let out a howl in pain as a zombie bit down on his arm. His arm was soon scarlet with blood. He smashed the offender's head and continued to fight his way through mob. He could feel the sharpened nails of dozens of zombies digging in his arms and face, but he tried to ignore it as he kept fighting.

"C'mon, endorphins. C'mon adrenaline. Don't let me down now."

Jack kicked a path through a half dozen zombies, but soon was tackled by another group. As he struggled to throw them off and get back to his feet, he felt a sharp pain his neck. He elbowed the hollowed-out skull of the zombie who had bit him. Ignoring the blood, he continued to strive for balance. It was in a brief flash that he saw the laser bolts from Laya's bow streak past him and found their targets in the zombies' heads. He got up and smiled at her. Laya's eyes widened at horror at the blood running down his chest.

Sari hacked and slashed her way through all of the creatures that had threatened to block the horse's way. Piotr glanced back and saw her in battle, but by this point, he realized there was nothing he could do and continued pushing the hordes back.

The battle continued for fifteen more minutes, in which Piotr, Jack, and even Sari sustained more wounds. The tunics beneath Piotr's and Jack's armor were stained in blood and they were beginning to lose their sense of pace. Sari's beautiful face was now scratched and streaked with blood, which also matted her long brown hair. She had not given up, however, and continued her frenzied assault on the undead.

It was as the zombie army was being reduced to its last numbers that a new enemy appeared. A large humanoid monster appeared on the path directly in front of the horse. It was huge and muscular, although part of its body was decaying, exposing some its bones, including its ribs. Two little horns sprouted out of its forehead. It ran toward the horse. Laya fired her bow numerous times at it, but was so hysterical that she couldn't hit it in the head. With a thud that Piotr and Jack could hear from afar, the monster struck the horse in the neck and killed it.

Jack quickly tore himself from his melee with the zombies and confronted the new opponent. The monster unleashed a barrage of punches on Jack, all of which he struggled to block. One punch struck Jack square in the chest and sent him flying to the ground. The creature ran to Jack and lifted him up by the scruff of the neck. Jack threw his right foot out, which connected with the monster's head. The creature stumbled back and was soon on the receiving end of a series of high chain kicks from Jack. The monster did not relent, however, and grabbed Jack's leg with one hand and his torso with the other and launched him through the air. Jack tried to push himself up, but the monster was soon upon him ramming his head repeatedly into the ground.

It was Sari who acted at this moment. She slashed her way through the last zombie's and ran to Jack's aid. She jumped in the air and grabbed the horned man with her legs in a scissor-like movement. She twisted her body and threw the man-beast to the ground. Quickly, she sprung forward and began to stab the monster repeatedly in the head with her daggers. Jack finally had to pull her away from the unmoving mass of rotting flesh.

"What are we going to do now?" Laya called out to Jack and Sari, pointing out the dead horse.

"Piotr!" Jack yelled immediately. "C'mon, you and I have to bust out the phat running now!"

Piotr looked over at the cart, took a deep breath, and nodded. "Sari, please, love, get back into the cart. Jack and I will get us there."

Sari, now wiping the tears away as she gazed upon Piotr's blood-drenched body, nodded. She climbed back into the cart while Piotr and Jack took up the yoke.

"Just like the pioneers, my friend."

"Heck yeah!"

Jack and Piotr begin to push the cart forward, bringing their pace from a jog into a near sprint. The yelled and groan in agony as the wounds opened up more and more. Sari, usually the strong one, sobbed as she saw the love of her life suffer.

"Laya, please, heal them," she pleaded.

Laya was preparing to perform the Res magic she knew In order to heal them, when suddenly a trio of bird-like men descended from the air and attacked the two women. The women fought back, but the ambush was so sudden that Laya soon had talon marks in her face and Sari had more scratches on her shoulders. Sari slashed wildly at the new foes, keeping them at bay. Laya struggled to take aim with her bow. After a few unsuccessful tries, she fired off a bolt that struck a flying creature in the throat. It plopped noisily on the ground and soon stopped moving. Sari climbed up on of the statues and jumped on a second bird-creature's back, digging her dagger into its neck. She leapt back on to the cart before it brought her down to the ground with her. Landing on her back, she saw the third flying monster swoop down toward her. Sari instinctively threw her other dagger at the monster's chest. With a loud shriek, the monster plummeted to the ground.

A few more minutes passed, and soon the two men began to slow down their pace. They gasped for air and tightened their grip on the cart, trying to ignore the pain in their bodies. Their sprint became a jog, and soon became a slow walk.

Ahead of them, a lone human figure stood, waiting patiently for the four. It was Athena, dressed in a brilliant white tunic that practically glowed. She stared intently on the four wounded humans and nodded her head with a large smile.

"Welcome, my friends. I was beginning to think you wouldn't come," she said, her smile not leaving her peaceful face.

Jack and Piotr glanced at each other and rolled their eyes. "Man, what the heck?" Piotr said sarcastically. "Hecka leaving us alone with the zombie-stuffs."

"But you made it, didn`t you? Isn't that what matters?"

"Hecka almost in several different pieces though, your majesty," was Jack's rejoinder.

Piotr and Jack brought the wagon to a stop in front of the goddess. Piotr and Jack looked back at the cart at their wives. Sari lay on the floor of the cart, her back against one of the statues. She had passed out from a lack of blood. Laya was still conscious, but was bleeding profusely.

The two men turned to look at Athena. They looked at each other for a moment and nodded their heads. They made a weak effort to bow down in front of her, but soon collapsed as well.


	7. Chapter 7

Mieu walked across the dusty wasteland with a sense of purpose—more purpose than she had ever felt in her existence. The wind howled in her cybernetically-enhanced ears and the thick clouds of dusts threatened to obscure her near-perfect vision. Nonetheless, by this point, it would take more than wind and noise to hold her back.

"So this is the Netherworld," she thought. She stared at the rocky outcroppings spread out all over the ground. "Just a bunch of rocks and a dust."

Like the other realms that she had walked through to arrive, the Netherworld was completely barren and devoid of life. Nothing stirred. Nothing. The unnatural silence, which must have lasted about a day or so—Mieu had paid little attention to the time monitors in her internal computers—brought her mind back to the swamps of the Hollow World when she and her friends had gone to battle against the Burrower, some time before. Once again, she found herself descending into the depths of Hell itself in order to fight against evil. This time, however, she was alone.

After what seemed like hours, Mieu spotted a lone figure standing amidst a number of small boulders some hundred yards—one-hundred and seven yards, according to Mieu's sensors—in the distance. Mieu adjusted her vision to get a better look at the creature, whatever it was, as she came closer. It looked like a man, a simple man. The man said nothing nor made any gesture to welcome her or get her attention. He simply stared at her with a rather sinister, inviting smile. The dull, red light of the Netherworld shined unearthly off of his pale, bald head.

Mieu came to face the stranger. She stopped in front of him and took a deep breath. With a few swift, yet graceful movements of her hand, she wiped the dust out of her magenta hair and off of her red armored vest and one-piece battle suit. "And now it begins," she thought. She glared into the man's eyes, waiting for the next move.

The man finally spoke, "Welcome Mieu, to my glorious abode." Mieu remained silent. "I know why you've come. Come, let's us discuss this arrangement!" He spoke with a mock tone of cheerfulness.

Mieu stood her ground and clenched her fists. "No!" she said defiantly. "The deal is this: You restore Corg to me and I'll walk out of here without so much as a backwards glance."

"Do you think you can just waltz into here and take my new little trophy? You seem rather determined for an insignificant creature that doesn't even have soul. Why would something like you care for the soul of another?"

Mieu's claws sprang forth from her knuckles. "Corg always felt that I had a soul and treated me as such. " She composed herself. "One good act deserves another. Now, let us cease this pointless conversation and get to business: Are you going to give me my frien…my son…in spirit, back? Or am I going to have to take him?"

The man bellowed out loud. "Neither of the two, my petite red friend. I'll tell you what I'm going to do. If you can best me in personal combat," the man paused for a second and looked at Mieu, eying her from tips of toes to the top of her head. "Without the use of your claws, I'll do a fair trade with you."

Mieu sheathed her claws. "And if I lose?" she asked, rather curiously.

"The rusted remains of your body will lay down here for all eternity."

The cyborg stepped forward and stared intently into the man's eye. "I accept your proposal." She put one foot back and lifted her hands into a fighting posture.

The man laughed out loud, so loud, in fact, that it echoed all throughout the boundless realm of the Netherworld. Smoke began to pour out of the bottom of his robes, enveloping his person. Soon there was a huge pillar of smoke, like a giant cloud, where he had once stood. His voice, now raspier than it had been, boomed from the mist, "I shall show you, you pitiful robot, what it means to defy the great Neff, Lord of the Underworld!"

The smoke cleared and Neff revealed his true form to Mieu. Mieu stumbled back at her new foe. In front of her stood a huge creature nearly seven feet tall. Its hide was a grayish blue hue and seemed thicker than that of any dragon she had seen in the Hollow Valley. It wore a bright gold suit of armor. Its head was not human; instead, it was a long snout with two large horns jutting out at the end. The monstrous Neff stepped forward and clenched its fists. "Are you ready to die, fair damsel?" bellowed the creature.

"I always have been and always will be, demon!" Mieu screamed.

Neff lunged and her and smashed into Mieu with his shoulder, sending the cyborg sprawling to the ground several yards away. Immediately after, it jumped in the air and tried to smash her with its hoof-like feet. Mieu quickly rolled to the side and avoided Neff's landing, which shattered the rocky ground and left two deep hoof prints as a deadly landmark. Mieu kicked up to her feet and started punching the horned beast in the face repeated. The monster did not flinch.

With a mighty heave, the monster grabbed Mieu by the throat and flung her through the air. The beautiful fighter struck a rock outcropping headfirst and plopped to the ground. "Dang it," she thought, waiting for her internal computers to come into focus again. "I can't use my claws against him." Her thoughts were interrupted by the charging beast, who seemed intent on goring her with its front horn. Mieu quickly came to her senses and performed a backflip over Neff's head, striking him with her two feet on her way down. The monster went crashing into the rocky structure ahead of him.

It quickly spun around and came at her again. Neff wildly swung his fists at Mieu, trying to punch her. Mieu was ready this time, however. She bobbed and weaved and was able to guess the angle and speed of his punches using her sensors and internal computers. Dodging a series of more than ten punches, Mieu slid under the monster's legs and leapt back to her feet in a spin kick and that struck the monster in the back of the head. It lurched forward, but maintained its balance.

Mieu leapt to grab a hold of the monster's shoulders, but it thrust its leg back, striking Mieu in the stomach and knocking her several feet back. Mieu leapt high into the air to dodge the hammering fist of her enemy. She landed on its head and grabbed onto hits horn and started striking Neff repeatedly in the temple with the ridge of her hand. His tough hide felt like rock to her.

"Monster!" she screamed in desperation. "Why won't you just die?"

Neff reached out with one of his hands and pulled Mieu off his horn. Thinking quickly, she grabbed the hand with both of hers and twisted it. Using all of the strength her cybernetically-enhanced muscles allowed her, she threw the monster over her shoulder and onto the ground. It felt like the entire Netherworld shook on impact. Mieu scrambled onto Neff's back and again started pounding into back of his head with her fists, screaming with each blow.

Neff began to stir and soon was on his feet, knocking Mieu off his body with a great shake. The creature let out a hideous laugh and ran towards Mieu. Picking her up by her leg, he tossed her aside the same way a baby throws a doll on the ground. He repeated the same action, but this time held firmly onto Mieu's leg and he smashed her body repeatedly into the ground and then threw it against a small boulder nearby. Mieu stopped moving for a few moments.

Mieu could feel the damage. The laconium in her bones felt dented. The wires were getting frayed. Information transmitted to her brain and eyes via her internal computer was out of showing lots of static. She could feel some of her oil valves ruptured. She struggled to get her balance back. "Dang it, Mieu. Think. Think! Don't give up! Corg gave up everything for you and everybody else. Don't give up on Corg" she mumbled to herself. Neff began to walk slowly, but arrogantly toward Mieu. Mieu looked up and saw him. "Come on, Mieu. Think! What would Corg do?" She searched her memory banks for every single memory of Corg that she had. In a split second, the right memory played back in her head.

Mieu stumbled a bit, but stood up. She shook her arms a bit but lifted them up back to her original defensive posture. She twisted her head a bit, cracking the metallic vertebrae in her neck. She took a deep breath. "Like I said, I'm always ready to die," Mieu said, cooly.

Neff's eyes narrowed and he took charge at her again. At the last moment, she stepped aside and struck him with the palms of her hands, sending him crashing to the ground. Neff pounded his fist into the dirt and got up. He ran at her again, but she kept her feet firmly where she stood. She maneuvered the rest of her body, however, and bent forward and to the side, grabbing Neff's left hoof and lifting him off the ground. She tossed him against a rock with the same ease he had done to her before.

Neff screamed in fury and ran towards her, fists clenched. Neff threw a punch at Mieu that Corg had referred to as a "Mississippi Haymaker." Mieu quickly grabbed his wrist with one hand and the pivot of his elbow with the other, and caused Neff to strike himself in the face several times. She then twisted his arm, pushed down on his shoulder, put her leg in front of his foot, and threw him down once again. While Neff struggled to get up, Mieu began to search her memory banks for anything else she could use. Her search brought her to some obscure references to films that Corg had mentioned to her before. She had another idea.

As Neff got up, Mieu performed a series of cartwheels to close the distance between monster and machine and flipped onto his shoulders. She locked her legs around his neck and mentally sent a message to her internal systems that her legs retain said position. She quickly ran her fingers against the tips of one of Neff's horns, ripping the skin off and exposing her metal-laced fingers. She then grasped the large horn at the base of large horn at the tip of Neff's snout and began to pull.

The monster screamed and roared. It desperately tried to pry Mieu off its shoulders, but her strength grew with each attempt. He slammed his body against numerous boulders, trying to rid himself of his opponent, but Mieu's grip remained true. Blood-red ichor began to seep out from beneath the horn and Mieu continued to pull. The bloodcurdling sound of flesh being torn at filled both Mieu's and Neff's ears. The monster screeched in agony, but Mieu was deaf to it. She pulled and pulled and pulled some more. Finally, with every last ounce of strength, Mieu ripped the horn out of its place.

Gore spewed out of the hole in Neff's snout and its roars of agony soon became but a light whimper. Neff began to stumble and stagger, unable to run or ram itself anymore into whatever structure lay near. Mieu, out of energy, but not lacking a whit of determination, jammed the sharp end of the horn into Neff's skull. With her fist as a hammer she pounded on the horn, which soon dug deep into Neff's brain. With a loud shriek, Neff toppled forward with a resounding thud. He ceased to move.

"Corg called that one the 'Executioner of Shaolin'," said Mieu disdainfully to the motionless monster.

Mieu pried herself from his body and got up, nearly toppling over in the process. She gasped for breath and did her best to remain standing, staring at the motionless monstrosity sprawled out before her.

She looked into the barren vastness of the Netherworld. It was then that she saw a glowing blue orb floating toward her. She forced a smile from her fatigued lips. Her systems were beginning to shut down. She slowly stepped forward to receive the orb into her arms. She felt slight warmth in her body. Nonetheless, there was no more energy left in her to make the return trip. "I need to rest," she whispered to the orb. She pushed the blue object against her cheek and sat down. Her sensors and internal computer switched off.

Mieu smiled as she slept. She felt nothing. She did not even notice that her body was being lifted and carried through the air by invisible hands.


	8. Chapter 8

Athena walked slowly toward the fallen heroes and gazed down upon them. They had bought a great battle, the goddess thought. They had given it their all in exchange for the soul of a friend they loved dearly. She gently caressed the bloodstained faces of each of the warriors, who lay unmoving. Their faces were peaceful, free from the memories of the horrors that had just beset them. Athena said nothing for some minutes, but simply walked back and forth to each of the fallen, passing her dainty, yet firm olive-hued fingers through the hair of each of them.

A few minutes had passed when Athena's attention was directed to a low squawk in the air. A medium-sized owl descended from the sky and landed on her shoulder. She smiled and ran her fingers against its beak. The owl spread out its large brownish-green wings and stretched a bit. It then nuzzled its beak against her ear and let out a few short squawks.

"Very well, so father has given the okay?" Athena inquired of the animal.

The owl bowed forward a little.

"So be it." Athena turned to the four bodies on the ground. "Well," she said, addressing them. "Everything will be just fine now. Come, let us take a look at what your valor has made possible."

Having said that, she lifted up her arms and pointed to the sky. There was a great flash of white light, and the bodies of Sari, Laya, Piotr, and Jack began to give off a translucent teal aura. There emerged from their bodies four glowing, blue orbs which hovered over them for a few moments. Athena smiled and pointed at the statues which were in the cart. The orbs, obeying her gesture floated calmly through the air toward those magnificently-sculpted blocks of marble. Each orb entered into a different statue, which in turn gave off a faint glow for a few moments, after which it returned to its original color.

Silence followed for a few moments. Then the faint sound of stone breaking filled the air. It got louder and the four marble statues began to shake violent. With a loud crash, the statues split in half and shattered into millions of tiny of fragments. The dust soon cleared revealing four people dressed in immaculately white tunics with brilliant gold borders. Their skin gave off a golden glow that illuminated the air around them and their feet were shod with sandals made of pure gold.

Sari stepped off the cart and stood in front of Athena. She briefly cast her eyes to the cart and saw her bloodied body. She lifted her eyebrow and furrowed her brow. Piotr also stepped from the cart and stood by her side. Spotting his own body collapsed on the ground in front of the cart, he tilted his head in confusion and turned his head toward Sari.

"Huh. This was unexpected," he said to her.

"Heck yeah!" called Jack from behind, who was helping Laya descend from the cart. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Do you think we're dead?" Laya asked aloud.

"Far from it," said Athena, drawing the looks of all four. "This is a present from my father and me to you for your braveness and sacrifice."

"Present you say?" Sari said.

"Of course," said Athena graciously. "The four of you have shown that you're not only willing to die for your friend—you live together and die together, indeed—"Athena shot a look at Jack, who grinned at her. "But you have shown that you are well capable of dedicating your own lives to serving others around you as well." Athena looked at Sari, who at this moment remembered the bitter years of war while she was ruler of Landen some years ago. "I was impressed at the lengths you went to in order to not only rescue Corg, but even to simply find him. Anyone who would travel across so many worlds just to find a friend, with no guarantee of success, is deserving of great praise."

The four simply looked at each other and smiled. Athena continued, "While you were making your way across the cemetery, I went to Olympus to ask a favor of my father. I asked him if he might grant unto the four of you both eternal life—"Athena paused and chuckled at the widened eyes of her compatriots. "—and, to not forget error of my colleague Eos, eternal youth as well."

"You mean, we're i-immortal now?" Sari asked in disbelief.

"Oh, not only that," Athena replied. "My father agreed to grant unto you the power of deity."

"What?" Laya gasped. "Like G—"

"Yes. The four of you are now gods. Granted, this world will not be your place of jurisdiction. Olympus has enough gods as it is. The four of you are to rule over the Alis III, over your own people, Laya and Sari. Piotr and Jack will be by your sides throughout eternity."

Piotr and Jack simply looked at each other and stayed silent for a moment. Then they nodded and hit their fists against each other's.

"Hecka props on that one," Jack laughed. "But Athena, why us?"

"Why not?" Athena said, with a light giggle. "You're certainly a lot more morally upright than some gods I know around here. But yeah, the four of you are free to do what you want with the Alis III, although I know that whatever you do, it'll be for the good of the people you serve."

"And what about Corg?" Piotr asked.

Athena nodded and pointed to a section of ground some twenty feet away from them. She clapped her hands twice and the ground began to rumble and shake. The earth split open, revealing a large tunnel. The Greek goddess slowly lifted up her left hand. Out of the abyss rose the body of a beautiful magenta-haired woman in a red leotard. It was Mieu. She was in the fetal position and showed no movement of her own accord as Athena guided her body to the ground in front of the others. In her hands, nestled against her face, was another glowing blue orb.

The goddess closed her fingers into a small fist and then opened it again and pointed at the statue. Like the other orbs, this one floated lazily through the air until it was absorbed into the one remaining statue. The statue shook and stirred and finally broke apart. When the dust cleared, there stood Corg in the middle of cart.

"Hey guys!" he said cheerfully. "Thanks a million!"

The other four stared at him incredulously, the mouths agape in awe. Sari pointed at him, which caused Corg to look over his own body. He was completely nude, but he soon saw that that wasn't what had caught his companions' attention. He examined his arms and made an astonishing discovery: His left bicep and part of his left pectoral muscle was covered with a thick, brown bristly fur. It was also a lot bigger than he remembered it being. Glancing at his right arm, he noticed his forearm was covered in an orange fur with black stripes running across it. His right hand was replaced with what looked like a large cat's paw. Looking down, Corg saw that his left thigh was covered with a brownish fur similar to that of the wolves that inhabited the Hollow Valley. His right leg, from the knee down, however, was covered with armor-like metallic-green scales, ending in a lizard-like claw.

Corg's eyes widened for a moment, and then he nodded his head and laughed. "Man! I'm hecka a full-fledged altered beast, aren't I? What's up with that?"

"It's part of your destiny back in the other world," Athena responded. "You'll have a lot to do there, my friend."

"Like a god of that world?" Sari interjected.

"I'm afraid not. The Hollow Valley already has its god—Ka, I believe."

"Ah yes," added Corg. "The sentient tyrannosaurus. Good fellow, that Ka. So what am I supposed to do?"

"You'll see. Too many questions from you all, the answers of which will all come in their due time. Now Corg, let me just assure you that whatever the circumstances, you may prepare for a long, long life. You will have many trials to endure and face, but if you are as true as your friends here, you can be guaranteed the same final destiny."

Corg nodded. "Two final questions," he ventured.

"Very well," responded Athena.

"What about Mieu?" Corg asked, pointing at the still cyborg.

Athena nodded and smiled. "You have a point. What about her? She did sacrifice herself to save you. Such courage, from a cyborg even, must not go unrewarded." Athena's hand began to glow green and she pointed at Mieu. The cyborg's body began to radiate a bright pink hue, after which she began to stir. Mieu stood up and smiled.

"Mieu!" Corg exclaimed and ran over to her and embraced her. "Thank you so much! Thank you so very, very much."

"Anything for my surrogate son," she said.

"Please, Mieu. From now on do not call me son. Call me your friend. Your dearest friend," Corg said calmly. Looking back at Athena, he asked his second question. "And Christy?"

Athena glanced roundabout and said, "I do not see her among you all."

Corg took a deep breath and sighed. "She didn't come for me, did she?" asked Corg dejectedly. He looked over at the others, who with solemn faces, looked at the ground and shook their heads.

Athena walked over to Corg and placed her hand on his shoulder and gazed deeply into his blue eyes. "When you died, there went all obligations she had to you. It was her choice whether to search for you, or to continue with her life. What you decide to do now will be your choice. I praise your devotion to your wife. Should you, however, wish to simply move on, you are more than justified." Athena looked up at the others. "Now, my friends, I have much business to attend to. I must be going. I trust you know the way back?"

The six nodded.

"Very well. Thank you for your courage and examples. Please, do not hesitate to come visit us once in a while." With that, a yellowish mist enveloped Athena and she vanished into thin air.

Sari and Laya ran up to Corg and gave him a big hug. After thanking them, he gave his friends Jack and Piotr a big hug to. He looked at Jack and said, "Brothers…"

"We live together…"

"…and die together."


	9. Chapter 9

The swamp that lay to the south of the Hollow Valley was unusually calm that day. The usually swarms of flies and mosquitoes filled the air with their buzzing, but the sounds of the great beasts, the many-headed hydra and fearsome dragons, were nowhere to be heard. The only real loud noise to be heard was the occasional splashing of some giant crocodile in the murky waters of those marshes.

It was near the entrance to the old Schattenalfen Cave, long since sealed by Corg and his compatriots, that the air began to move and stir. A distortion appeared, much like an invisible flame, that flickered and churned in the air above the ground. Bolts of electricity shot out of the distortion. Six small pillars of light formed in the midst of the lightning. The columns of light gradually took on human form. It was Corg and the others. They had returned.

Sari, Piotr, Laya, and Jack descended slowly to the ground, their illuminated bodies falling softly like a feather falling to the ground. Their bright figures contrasted greatly with the dark waters of the swamp and all animals in the area stopped to stare at the glorified personages. Corg and Mieu materialized above the ground and fell to the ground with a light thud. Mieu still wore her red one-piece leotard and battle vest while Corg wore but a single loincloth around his loins. They got up and approached their friends, who stood still in the air.

"Where are we?" Sari asked, looking around?

"This place looks familiar," Piotr noted, pointing toward the cliff where the entrance to the Elven Realms once stood.

"Yeah," Corg nodded. "We're in the Southern Swamp." He paused and looked around for a moment. "Dragon territory."

"Well," Laya said. "We had better make it back to the castle. We have some things to resolve before going back to the Alis III."

Corg put his hand on his chin and thought for a few moments. "Strange. I feel like I need to do something before you all go. There's something weird calling inside of me." He kept quiet for a few moments while the others stared at him, waiting for him to speak again. Then he looked up and smiled. "By jove, that's it! A feast! We must have a feast like none other that's ever been held in the Hollow Valley. We'll invite all the different races in the valley, be it Palman, Alisian, or beast."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Mieu asked, confused.

Corg smiled. "Watch this." He stepped away from the others and turned to the face the forest that surrounded the swamp. He took a deep breath and let out a loud, elephantine bellow that echoed all over the swamp. The others looked at each other in surprise.

"Dude!" Jack exclaimed. "That sounded like…hecka the…"

"Sounds like a modified double-bass sound," Mieu observed.

Corg's bellow was met with a similar roar, albeit one a bit less high-pitched that gave way to a deeper growl at the end. The trees began to shake and two large, reptilian figures emerged into the clearing. Huge bat-like wings sprouted from their backs and their huge, lizard-like faces opened their mouths, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. One of the creatures was covered with black, metallic scales. The other one was green. They moved swiftly toward Corg.

Laya let out a muffled scream. "Corg!"

Jack put his hand on her shoulder. "It's all good. I think Corg is busting out the communication with them." Laya stared and nodded.

The dragons stopped in front of Corg and let him pet them. Corg let out a couple of more smaller growls and then called his friends over. "They'll take you back to the castle. It's okay. I'll join with you all later. I've got to invite the guests. Mieu, will you do me the honor of accompanying me?"

Mieu grinned and nodded. "Of course I will. Are we going to ride one of those?"

"Not quite." With that, Corg took another deep breath and let out a different roar, this time a loud honk. He then let two more honks, slightly deeper in tone.

Out of another portion of the forest stepped another monster. It looked like a huge lion, more than twenty feet long. Out of its neck sprang two more heads: that of a large ram and that of a serpent. Like the dragon, it had a pair of bat-like wings protruding from its shoulders. It raced across the swamp and stopped in front of the heroes. It was a chimera, a very rare monster inhabitant of the Hollow Valley.

"Alright guys, you go back to the castle and start preparing things. Mieu and I will visit the other tribes and races. In three days, we'll all be feasting at the castle."

With that, Corg helped Mieu onto the chimera's back and hopped up onto it himself. Jack and Laya mounted the green dragon, while Piotr and Sari rode upon the black dragon. The three great beasts began flapping their wings and soared off into the air toward their respective destinations.

Piotr and the others sat around a large table in the feast hall of the castle. It had been two days since they had parted company with Corg, who hadn't returned yet. They were greeted with open arms at the castle by both the Alisians and Neo-Palmans living there. They had been sorely missed by their people. Their arrival had scared the town's inhabitants, since they had never seen anyone ride a dragon the way they did. To be perfectly honest, no one in the castle had ever seen a dragon in the Hollow Valley at that point.

It was soon discovered that Queen Sari and Queen Laya, and their respective companions, were quite different now from how they had left. There was an unmistakable magnificence to them. The people felt some sort of god-like glory emanating from their person. When the people recognized them, they all fell to the earth and bowed before them in all reverence. It was not something that they were really accustomed to.

"So, how is it that we're gods now?" Laya thought aloud. "What do we even need to do?"

"I don't know," Sari said. "Being a queen is one thing. Being a goddess—well—I don't even know where to begin."

"Athena did say that we'll figure things out later." Jack reminded them. "Just look at Corg. Athena didn't tell him very much about what he had to do, but as soon as we arrived, he already had a good idea of what was needed."

Piotr nodded. "Probably when we get back to the Alis III, we'll have the same epiphany. We'll probably look at the current state of the world ship and soon have a number of ideas of what can be done to help the people."

"Don't forget, Sari," Laya observed. "The people are still kind of divided into the Layans and Orakians. Even though you and I are Orakian and Layan, above all we are Palmans—no, we are Alisians. We'll have a lot to do break down those barriers and unite the people."

Sari pondered her friend's words for a moment. "You're right. Besides, the current state of our societies is not what it was in its glory days, be it by Palman or Alisian standards. We'll have our work cut out for us trying to restore things to the way they once were."

"And the Dark Force?" asked Jack. The others spun around and looked at him. Laya shuttered at the very name. "It'll be back in a 1,000 years, right?"

Laya and Sari glanced at each other and nodded.

"Well, when you and Sean and the others fought the sucker, you were all alone. If and when it returns, we'll be there to greet him. Ya' know, I have a pretty good feeling that Corg's probably going to be around to lead the assault on him. If that does happen, I think it's safe to say that the four of us will be by his side."

The others looked at each other and then nodded.

Jack continued, "As our motto goes—"

"Brothers—" the others began.

At that moment, the chamber doors opened. Mieu stood alone in the doorway.

"Mieu!" Laya called. She ran over and hugged her.

Mieu walked into the chamber and to her friends. Her usual radiant smile still beautified her face. "Well, everything is okay for tomorrow. Corg and I visited six different races, all of whom will send their representatives to the feast."

"Six?" exclaimed Sari.

Mieu nodded. "The beastmen, the minotaurs, the troglodytes, the lizard men, the trolls and the gargoyles. It was pretty neat, really. When they saw Corg and I riding atop the chimera, they already had a pretty good idea what was happening. And when they saw that Corg was well—the way he is now, and able to speak several different animal languages, they readily accepted the invitation."

The other four were speechless.

"So where's the sucker now?" Piotr asked.

"He didn't say. He just left me here and said that he had some unfinished business to attend to and then went off."

Piotr looked at Jack and then at Sari. He then pointed to his wedding band. Sari nodded.

Christy was in her dance studio putting away the tutus of some of her younger students. It had been a hard practice, but things were looking well for the upcoming recital. She wiped the sweat off her brow as she neatly folded the little dancers' clothes and put them in a box. Her daughter Melissa sat on the ground playing with some of her toys.

Her attention was broken when the lights began to flicker. She looked up at the lights in wonder, but said nothing. Suddenly there was a loud crash followed by a dull thud. Melissa pointed behind her and spoke.

"Da-da!"

Christy spun around in fear and gasped in horror. Her strength failed her as she saw, standing in front of her, her husband Corg. Christy's blood ran cold and she nearly fainted. Corg smiled and helped her up.

"C-C-Corg. But it can't be! It can't be!" Christy began to be hysterical.

Corg spoke calmly. "It's okay. Calm down."

"No! No! You're dead. You died! H-How—"

"Yes, I did die. I was quite dead at that; Zafirah did a slam-bang job of it, I'll say. This is my second life." He looked at his arms and legs. "Quite a different one from my first life, I might add." He chuckled to himself.

"How? Why?" Christy paused and tried to compose herself. "What happened to you?"

"Oh, this? Long story. In any case, I'm here because Piotr, Jack, Mieu, and the others went looking for me. They found me. They found me at the depths of the deepest hell and brought me back."

"But—you were dead? I thought that was the end," said Christy incredulously.

Corg slowly shook his head. "Do you think that death is really the end? Do you think that after travelling from one world to another…from one sphere to another by a mere thought, that death would simply be the end?"

"What did you want me to believe?"

Corg shrugged. "Doesn't matter at this point. Thing is, Piotr and the others believed that they could find me, and they did. You're here. I returned to this world, to find all of my friends waiting for me, except for my beloved companion."

Tears begin to brim in Christy's eyes. "I know. I was scared. I was horrified. I didn't feel same in that world anymore. I was afraid for Melissa. You gotta believe me."

Corg nodded. "I believe you. I lament that you did not trust yourself into the care of my friends. Had you done that, I wouldn't have had to come here looking for you."

Christy looked carefully at him. "You're so different now. You're not human anymore."

"Oh I am," said Corg. "Just a little more than human. But that's okay. I have a lot of work to do now. Which brings me to the purpose of my visit."

Christy furrowed her brow. "What's that? Do you want Melissa? She's all that I have, besides this school. Don't take her from me?"

Corg laughed. "Silly. I'm here for both of you. I want you two to come back with me to the Hollow World, to reign over the valley as my queen?"

"Your qu-queen? But how? Why?"

"That was kind of one of the stipulations of my return. Now I have several races to rule over. Well, not rule over per se. Probably just judge and mediate. But that's okay. I guess rule is just a question of semantics. Hmm…but I'm getting ahead of myself. It's the chance of a lifetime. Take it or leave it."

"But, after what happened to you there before, how I can be sure that it won't happen again?"

"Look, Christy. You're about as safe there as you'll be here. Will there be dangers? Yes. The same as there are here. Here you have muggers and drug dealers and carjackers and rapists and all sorts of loonies. There you have monsters and dragons. At least there, Melissa will have a father and you'll have a husband who'll most likely have more than enough to support you for the rest of your life. Besides, how many women here have the chance to meet up with their husband again after he was blown up by a fire spell? Not many, huh?"

The feast had already begun. The leaders of the different tribes had arrived and were shown to their prospective tables. Dozens of huge platters filled with strange and exotic dishes were placed on the tables. They ranged from the more traditional roasted boar to more exotic fare like giant crocodiles and owl bear steaks. Most of the other races were able to communicate with other and Mieu was able to pick up the languages fast enough to be a translator for them and the Alisian-Palmans.

The two royal couples, Sari and Piotr and Laya and Jack, sat at a table by themselves. Every visitor that arrived recognized the deity in them and reverenced them with the utmost of humility. There was almost no need for the light of torches or candles in feasting hall; the glory that the four emitted was enough to light the place several times over. After all of the formalities, they ate, drank, and conversed with each other and with the guests just like normal people.

It was a few hours after the feast had begun that the door opened and Corg appeared, accompanied by Christy. Her long, black hair was done up in many curls and she wore a dark pink dress that flowed like a stream. Corg wore a white plate mail and cape. His beast-like arms and legs remained bare as a symbol of his status as a mediator between the races. At first she seemed rather uncomfortable, but all of the guests recognized her as the wife of the great beast man and reverenced her the same way they reverenced Corg. Corg courteously greeted all guests present in a number of strange tongues. The two took up their seats at the head table alongside the new Alisian gods.

The feast went on into the early hours of the next day. There would not be such a banquet as this for many years to come.


	10. Chapter 10

It was dusk, about the darkest it would ever get in the Hollow Valley. In his castle, the one that was carved into the western cliff at the edge of the valley, Corg stood upon the wall and gazed at the land in front of him. He saw the many forests and rivers which brought a natural beauty to the land, which was changing almost every day. To his right he could see several small settlements made up of Palman and Alisian colonists. To his left, he could see the plateau of fire. If he squinted enough, he could see the castle where had lived years before, back when his current castle was just a wall of rock. Corg looked out at the vast valley before him and sighed.

"Meseta for your thoughts?" said a cheerful feminine voice behind him. Corg turned to see Mieu, his female cyborg friend, standing at the staircase. She was wearing a simple red dress and a royal ribbon, one she had gained from Sean many years before back on the Alis III, which still orbited the planet they stood on. Corg smiled at her and then returned his gaze to the valley.

"Hey Mieu. Just takin' in some fresh air over here." Corg breathed deeply. Mieu walked up to the edge of the wall, a few feet from Corg. She looked at him with a compassionate smile and then joined him in his gazing.

"It is a beautiful place we live in. I do miss the artificial nights on the Alis III, but that's okay."

"Yeah, it does wear down on the person a little bit. It's a good think that we got enough jets functioning now that we can just go back to Alis III or the Neo-Palm whenever we miss the night too much."

Mieu chuckled to herself. Corg looked over at her. She spoke up and said, "Remember that time that you were so desperate for a little darkness that you went to that cave?"

Corg shuttered and then laughed. "Oh yes. Stupid me, went to the so-called 'Web Palace' of all places. Oh dear lord."

"If I hadn't been with you, I don't think you would've made it out alive." Mieu was laughing quite a bit by now. "You really do hate spiders, don't you?"

Corge laughed and then sighed. "Yeah, hate every last one of'em." He continued to stare off into the distance.

"Are you okay, my lord?" Mieu asked, sounding a bit worried. Corg looked over at her and saw the rays of the sun reflect off her reddish hair.

"I thought I asked you to stop calling me that," he said, wagging his finger. "I was just thinking that it's been fifty years since you brought me back to this world. I never did get around to thanking you." Corg turned to look at Mieu. Her gaze soon met his.

Mieu grinned as much as she ever did. "Don't be silly. You've said 'Thanks Mieu' about once a month for the past fifty years. I think that counts as 'getting around to thanking me.'"

Corg inhaled and exhaled slowly. He looked down at his feet and his eyes soon followed over to Mieu's, moving up along her legs and continuing until he reached her face. "I know," he said serenely. "But, words really don't express the full extent of the appreciation I feel for what you went through."

Mieu lifted an eyebrow and then turned to look at the forest before them. "Don't worry. You've treated me so well all these years…I mean you've always treated me like a normal person. I should thank you as well."

"How do you think these past years have been? Do you think we've accomplished much?"

Mieu coughed. "Uh…We? Well, things have gone well. Of course there have been a number of small conflicts here and there. Sometimes between the Neo-Palmans and the Alisians. Sometimes between those two and the other races. Sometimes between the other races and the dragons. But really, that's just life. As long as people are free to choose, I have observed, there will always be a bit of conflict of interests involved. But I know that you've done your best to mediate between them all and judge righteously."

"From what it looks like, things are going okay on the Alis III. I'm surprised that more people didn't come here to colonize."

"I guess tradition is a stronger force than we had originally thought. The world ship was created to find a new place to live, and a good portion of the people now sees it as their own world. The last time Sari and the others came to visit, they told me that even after several decades, there are many who still adhere to the whole Orakian/Layan way of looking at others, despite their attempts to show people otherwise."

"There are always a few who try to stop progress in the name of bigotry. From what Piotr said, probably in a couple of generations, they might reach their second Golden Age."

"Maybe when the Alisian scientists reach that point, they can build another Wren to keep me company."

Corg coughed loudly when he heard that. "You know, it's been about three years since Christy has gone to rest."

Mieu nodded, but didn't say anything.

"Melissa and Wren have grown up, had kids, and are now grandparents. The generations just don't stop. It's just one big cycle. And during all this time, look at me. I haven't changed a bit. I mean, I've changed, but I haven't aged."

Mieu, cheerful as ever, said, "You don't look a day over thirty."

"Nor do you. You look as young and beautiful as you did when I met you and the others in front of the castle that first time."

"Changing the subject," Mieu said, "I do miss Christy." Mieu sidestepped a foot closer to Corg. "Once she got the hang of this sort of life, she really enjoyed it. I could tell she was scared out of her wits when she came back with you at that time, especially when she saw how you had changed physically."

Corg smiled and nodded. "Not to mention the banquet room full of minotaurs and gargoyles. She did go through a lot. I don't blame her. And you?"

"Huh?"

"What did _you_ think when you saw me the way I am now? Did you think I was some sort of freak?"

Mieu giggled. "Of course not. You were and still are, and I might add that you will always be, my friend Corg. Dragon leg or no dragon leg. Bear arm or no bear arm." She reached over and gave Corg a light pinch on his shoulder.

"Back to the subject at hand," Corg began. "I never got around to thanking you the way I wanted to."

Mieu turned to him and stared at him with her big, unblinking eyes. "Oh? How's that?"

"I don't want you to be my friend or my surrogate mother or any of that anymore," he said, a bit exasperated.

Mieu stepped back and looked at him with a tilted head. "I'm a bit confused. What kind of a 'thank you' is that?"

Corg reached into a large pouch on his belt and produced a golden crown with a large red jewel set in the middle. Mieu almost jumped back.

"What's th—Where did you get that?"

Corg started laughing. "I decided to do a bit of questing the other day and went back to those caverns that connect the castle with the Southern Swamp. Almost got myself turned to stone by some basilisks. Little jerks, they don't care much for my dragon tongue. I'll have to figure out what language they speak later…though I'll probably have to blind myself beforehand. Oh, where was I? So, I was exploring the cavern and I found this. It's from the treasure of the ogres. I want to give it to you."

Corg stepped forward and placed the crown on Mieu's head. Mieu slowly lifted her hands and touched the crown, as if to see if it was real. "You mean, you want—"

Corg nodded and smiled. "Yes, I do. I want you to marry me and be my queen. I want you to rule this land by my side. I want to visit other lands arm-in-arm with you. I want to wake up in the morning and see that wonderful smile of yours and your beautiful hair spread out on the pillow. I want you as my companion until the day comes for destiny to do to me what it will. I know how much you've wanted this. I saw it in your eyes when Piotr married Sari and Jack married Laya. I saw it in you when I brought Christy back here the second time, when Melissa got married, and when each of her children married. I saw how much you yearned for that sort of human companionship. I have liked you as person and as a friend since I met you, but I have had that special type of love for you ever since you nearly sacrificed your entire existence to rescue me. Moreover, you have always been a great companion. You've listened to all my stories. You always encouraged me to do things I liked. You liked listening to me talk about things like movies and video games from my home world. I could always be me around you, and you never cared. I love that. Thus, the best way I can thank you is to give you back the same love you showed for me. What say you?"

Mieu was speechless for a few minutes. Corg gazed into her eyes patiently as he waited for her to give her response. She suddenly threw her arms around his head and it pulled it into hers. Their lips met and for several minutes, there was complete oneness between Corg and Mieu. She held him with all of her might, like a special prize that she could not bear to part with. For those few minutes, he was her and nobody else's. After a few minutes, they broke off their kiss and embraced each other again, Mieu pulling Corg's face against hers in such a way that their noses and foreheads rubbed against each other.

Mieu whispered in a soft tone, "I accept, Corg. And I do love you to. Please, stay by my side always. I never want to lose you."

"I'll always be here for you." Corg smiled. "Didn't know you had it in you," he jested.

"It's been accumulating for many, many years." She gave a little devilish smile. "Don't worry, that was just a sample."

Corg lifted his eyebrows and tapped his fingertips together. "Oooh. I like the sound of that"

Mieu stepped forward and kissed him on the lips again. "Of course, my love. Wow, I've always wanted to say that."

"Very good. So, we have to make some preparations. Tomorrow, I'll set out to tell the tribes. Then, we'll head to the Alisa III to let Piotr, Jack, Sari, and Laya know. I'm sure they'll be thrilled."

Mieu nodded joyfully. She turned to enter back into the castle. Before going downstairs, she popped her head through the doorway and asked, "Honey, where would you like to go for our honeymoon?"

Corg pursed his lips for a moment. Then he lifted his eyebrow and, walking toward her, said, "I've always wanted to visit a city named Purapril."


End file.
